First National Corp MA ADV Has $361,000 Stake in Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL)

First National Corp MA ADV decreased its holdings in shares of Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,534 shares of the company’s stock after selling 250 shares during the quarter. First National Corp MA ADV’s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $361,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CL. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 90,253.2% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,974,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,258,627,000 after acquiring an additional 15,956,771 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive during the fourth quarter worth about $644,715,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 151.6% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 5,688,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $431,381,000 after acquiring an additional 3,427,400 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 41.7% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,370,549 shares of the company’s stock valued at $895,886,000 after buying an additional 3,345,297 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 1,915.2% in the first quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 1,793,287 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,985,000 after buying an additional 1,704,300 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CL. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $93.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. TheStreet raised Colgate-Palmolive from a “c+” rating to a “b+” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $87.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,797,983.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 69,948 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.22, for a total value of $5,891,020.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 286,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,161,117.82. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Noel R. Wallace sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.15, for a total value of $4,157,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 274,179 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,797,983.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 232,371 shares of company stock worth $19,505,099 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Colgate-Palmolive Price Performance

Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $89.95 on Thursday. Colgate-Palmolive has a 52-week low of $67.62 and a 52-week high of $90.27. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $85.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.59, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.36, a PEG ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.42.

Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 26th. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.02. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 509.75% and a net margin of 11.82%. The company had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.89 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. Colgate-Palmolive’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive will post 3.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Colgate-Palmolive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Colgate-Palmolive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Colgate-Palmolive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.06%.

Colgate-Palmolive Company Profile

Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells consumer products in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care; and Pet Nutrition. The Oral, Personal and Home Care segment offers toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, bar and liquid hand soaps, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and antiperspirants, skin health products, dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, and other related items.